Royals sink Swans
Free-scoring Reading move third
Last Updated: September 27, 2008 7:38pm
Coppell: On song
Reading continued their free-scoring form with a 4-0 thrashing of Swansea at the Madejski Stadium.
Kevin Doyle continued his goalscoring run with a brace, while Noel Hunt and Stephen Hunt were also on the scoresheet as the Royals moved third.
The Royals destroyed Sheffield Wednesday 6-0 in their last home game and continued their flawless home record by bringing up their 16th goal in just four games.
Midfielder Brynjar Gunnarsson made his first league start since suffering a knee injury in January, after a successful comeback in the Carling Cup defeat at Stoke in midweek, and should have opened the scoring in the ninth minute when hitting the side-netting.
Steve Coppell's side were all over the Swans and went ahead in the 18th minute.
Jimmy Kebe won a corner from Federico Bessone and from Stephen Hunt's excellent delivery Noel Hunt rose to head powerfully past Dorus De Vries.
Double change
Stephen Hunt was again involved and he fed the overlapping Chris Armstrong and the former Sheffield United man picked out Doyle perfectly on the penalty spot for the Republic of Ireland international to bury the ball into the bottom corner.
It was Doyle's seventh goal in 138 minutes of action at the Madejski and Stephen Hunt capped a fine 45 minutes with the third goal after meeting a Kebe cross.
Roberto Martinez made a double change at the break, replacing Jason Scotland and Thomas Butler with Febian Brandy and Mark Gower.
And Brandy then won a foul 25 yards from goal and Jordi Gomez crashed the free-kick against the crossbar.
But that proved to be the closest the Swans came to a consolation as Coppell's side eased to another emphatic win when Doyle added the fourth.
A fantastic flowing move down the left saw Stephen Hunt and substitute Kalifa Cisse combine and from Hunt's low cross the predatory Doyle tapped in from close range.
Matches
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npower Championship
Table
npower Championship
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff City | 46 | 87 |
| 2 | Hull City | 46 | 79 |
| 3 | Watford | 46 | 77 |
| 4 | Brighton and Hove Albion | 46 | 75 |
| 5 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 72 |
| 6 | Leicester City | 46 | 68 |
| 7 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 68 |
| 8 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 67 |
| 9 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 65 |
| 10 | Derby County | 46 | 61 |
| 11 | Burnley | 46 | 61 |
| 12 | Birmingham City | 46 | 61 |
| 13 | Leeds United | 46 | 61 |
| 14 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 60 |
| 15 | Blackpool | 46 | 59 |
| 16 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 59 |
| 17 | Blackburn Rovers | 46 | 58 |
| 18 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | 58 |
| 19 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 58 |
| 20 | Millwall | 46 | 56 |
| 21 | Barnsley | 46 | 55 |
| 22 | Peterborough United | 46 | 54 |
| 23 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 51 |
| 24 | Bristol City | 46 | 41 |
